


The End of the World

by Fool_Arcana



Category: Persona 5, Persona Series
Genre: Akechi Goro Has A Palace, Alternate Universe - Zombie Apocalypse, Apocalypse, M/M, Shido still sucks, Survivors, Zombies, sanctuaries, the phantom thieves are a group of survivors
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-02-02
Updated: 2019-02-02
Packaged: 2019-10-21 04:03:33
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,628
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17635676
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fool_Arcana/pseuds/Fool_Arcana
Summary: You shouldn't live life in survival mode.Goro Akechi ran away from a sanctuary. His actions of betrayal have sparked the vengeance of his own father. Running away, choosing to fight against the undead over living with that man must have been a tough decision.He wound up running into the Phantom Thieves, accidentally displacing them when his past decided to come back for him.Despite that, he is still accepted and still taken in. The idea of settling down with a group that actually cares for each other is a new concept, but all he wants to do and ruin his father's false haven.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I'm so flaky omg. I kinda just had this idea bc i just like zombies and also akeshu, so sue me ig.

Akira

 

The first zombie appeared six years ago and since then, there’s been nothing but zombies. I was ten years old and all was well. The end of the world didn’t start in my hometown. It started in the United States of America, somewhere in South Florida in 2018 and it spread through bite. The police killed the infected homeless man, but his victim was treated, then his victim turned into one of those things and attacked the hospital staff. By the time the police showed up, it was too late and the entire hospital was infected.

They quarantined the area, tried to keep it contained, did tests. The test subjects attacked scientists and scientists attacked the military. By then, half the world had prepared for an apocalypse, the movies helping them figure it out. They thought it’d raise their survival level, but the movies never accounted for how long an infection took to settle. It could take minutes or hours or days or weeks. The longest someone lasted was seventeen days. The group thought it was okay after fourteen days until he turned the entire camp.

Flights and ships were shut down within months, but some infected were on evacuation flights. We didn’t stand a chance.

I don’t remember much of Japan from before the zombies, but my parents did. They told me about big skyscrapers and a night full of lights. Our town was small, not like Tokyo where I am now. I wish I could have seen it before the fallen buildings and constant darkness. The buildings weren’t destroyed by zombies, no, they were destroyed by bombs. Humans thought they could kill them all before the zombies killed us, kill the infected before they turned. Then, the dead picked themselves back up with their skin boiling from the heat of the explosion, walked out of the mushroom cloud and killed every last hope for humanity.

At least, that’s the story my mother told me. My parents cared for me, I do know that, because they have their lives to save mine. I’m not the only one that should thank them for their sacrifice, because I’ve made it a point to risk everything to save people I care about. I’ve survived without my parents for four years now, relying on others until I could rely on myself.

Humanity lost hope when the bombs failed, but humanity made everything out of nothing many years ago. There’s no way that’s this is the end. It can’t be.

”What’re you doing up here again?”

Everyone in our small base knew I spent my nights sitting in the watchtower, staring at the streets of what was something once so full of life. “Oh, you know, like to watch the streets, count what zombies are wearing the same colors.”

“Well,” Ann sat down next to me, dangling her feet off the edge with me, “those two are both wearing pink, but one has better taste. Her shoes are Louis.”

I chuckled, taking up another bottle of stale beer. Ann took it, cracking it open on the edge of the fence. “Yeah, maybe I lied a bit,” I said, “I was just thinking about what it would’ve been like if we were born a few years earlier, you know? Maybe born in 2006 instead of 2012. My mom said that they thought we’d have flying cars by 2028, not a zombie apocalypse.”

“That would’ve been cool,” she smiled, “flying cars over a city with lights and... people.” Ann set the beer down in her lap, fingers brushing against her pigtail. It was a nervous tick of hers. “I can’t stop thinking about my parents. They were in Paris when the zombies invaded and they’re always surrounded by security. So maybe... they’re okay?”

“They could be.” I looked up at the moon and stars. Without lights, that’s all we can see. Stars are beautiful. Mom said she rarely got to see stars because of the lights. “They could be the most badass warriors ever, but they’d never be as badass as you.”

“Please,” she scoffed, “it was all you.”

“No, Ann,” I said, looking over at her, “it was all you.”

She rolled her eyes, taking a long sip of her beer. I did the same, looking back over at the streets. People we came across called us fools for being so relaxed, for letting people in and out and giving supplies to others in need. There will always be more supplies, but never another chance for an ally. The Phantom Thieves don’t believe in being so guarded that there is no acceptance. There’s always time to relax.

“Akira,” Ann said quietly, “Have I ever told you that you were the best thing that’s ever happened to me? The best friend I could have ever asked for, the best mentor, the best leader. You’ve always been the best thing. Who taught you to be the way you are?”

“Lots of teachers from lots of places. My dad taught me to shoot, my mom taught me to think. When they died, I met a man who taught me to fight, then a woman who taught me to lie. I traveled with teachers until I had to go alone. Then, I met a boy named Ryuji who taught me to have fun, a girl named Ann who taught me how to put others first, and then we became a family.”

“Then our family grew,” Ann whispered, “We became the Phantom Thieves who give hope to people who need it, let them know that the future is possible.”

“Where is Ryuji anyway?” I haven’t seen him since breakfast this morning. He loved going out to kill zombies, says it gives him something to do besides guarding. He’s one of the best fighters when it comes to straight up zombie killing.

“He went out with Makoto to get some supplies and, of course, kill a few zombies for fun.” I laughed, shaking my head. Those two only ever got along when it was time to handle zombies. “Hey, who’s that?”

I looked over to where Ann was pointing. It was someone all alone, a big ass gun in their arms standing right outside our gate. “Let’s see if they need something,” I said, standing up. Ann nodded, getting down the ladder before me with a light slip in her step.

When I got closer, I could see that the stranger was a boy, looked to be around our age and super fucking cute. He had long brown hair and reddish-brown eyes, but his clothes were thick and he had many layers. “Oh, shoot!” His voice was so sweet and calming. Shit, I don’t know if I can deal with this calmly. “I was just wandering and I apologize if I was trespassing.”

“We don’t believe in trespassing,” Ann said, raising a brow, “why don’t you come in and have dinner with us?” The boy seemed taken aback, almost flinching away from the gate.

“Ann,” I stepped forward, holding an arm out over her, “lots of people and groups aren’t like us. They believe in territory and other bullshit. So, cute stranger, join us for dinner. We should be having corned beef and bread.”

“Corned beef and bread?” His face scrunched up like I said something gross. His gear was high-end, almost military, but his face was young. There’s no way he’s an adult. “That sounds awful.”

“It’s actually pretty good,” Ann cut in, “Really!”

The boy looked at me, the frown disappearing. “That’s really kind of you to do,” he said slowly, “but I’d hate to impose on your camp.” Ann was already opening the gate, waving him in and closing it quickly. “Are you sure? You don’t even know me.”

“Of course I’m sure,” I grinned, “Just do us a favor and run over by that room for a bite check. Can’t have you turning that corned beef and bread into mashed brains and head.” Our base was an old motel, nothing too special. He almost cracked a smile, but he held the stern look before he nodded and went off. Haru was the best medic around, well besides my trusty kitty, Morgana. “I’m Akira, by the way.”

“Goro Akechi.”

What a nice name to go with a nice face. Ann nudged me, a small smirk pulling at her mouth. “So, cute stranger,” she mocked, “can I, uh, blow you?”

“Shut up, he could hear you!”

“From inside, across the courtyard?” She raised her brows, tossing the empty beer bottle to the dirt, “Come help me with dinner.”

“No way, I’m not sitting and counting bread. I’d rather wait for Mr. Goro Akechi to pass the check and welcome him for the night. He seems nice.”

“You’re a hopeless romantic without a rose.”

I winked at Ann and left. Haru never liked to be disturbed when she was working, but I count myself as a special case. She could never be mad at me. I knocked on the door, opening it right after. She hated locked doors.

Goro Akechi was already dressed again, leaving his heaviest jacket on the chair, but he still had that monster of a gun strapped to his back. He left his gloves on still, hiding as much skin as he could. “Ever heard of privacy?” Haru frowned, tapping her foot against the floor.

“No, I’m afraid that that’s the one lesson I was never taught.” She mumbled under her breath, something about how there are more lessons than that. “Dinner should be ready soon if Ann doesn’t find a way to screw it up, but we have to wait for Ryuji and Makoto.”

“Are you sure that your leader will be okay with another mouth to feed?” I wonder where he’s from. He must be from a powerful group, maybe someone who believed in a power pyramid.

“I am the leader.” I held open the door for him, looking over the base. “Here, we don’t do a power structure and we don’t believe in leaving people outside. Selflessness, kindness, bravery, and some other really cliché shit is what we value.”

“How... impossible,” he muttered, “You can’t keep a group like that without being raided.”

“I bargain with the raiders,” I shrugged, “they come and ask for all we have and they leave without shedding any blood.”

“How have you not run out of supplies?”

“Trade, but we mostly explore beyond all safe zones. Ryuji and Makoto are the main scouts. They should be here soon, though. I’m sure you’d get along with Makoto.”

Goro Akechi lowered his head, his frown deepening. “How many people are in your group?”

“It’s more like a family, but seven people and a cat.” Goro nodded, looking over the base camp. Sometimes, people were surprised that we kept a pet cat instead of a dog. Dogs are more obedient, can kill zombies, but Morgana’s different. Morgana’s our cat. “So, where did you come from?”

“I’m on my own.”

I tilted my head, “Now that was a lie.” Goro tightened his jaw, playing it off with a fake smile. Man, this guy’s not good at keeping secrets. “Your gear is military grade and the way you carry yourself shows a strict upbringing. You can’t be much older than I am and I was ten when this started. Plus, you’re shit at lying.”

“Impossible, my father was a politician. All they do is lie.” He must not like his father very much. He could play it off as a joke, but he’s bad at that too.

“You didn’t pick up on anything, then,” I said, “A friend of mine taught me to lie and I’m really good at it.”

“Maybe so,” Goro mumbled, “But let me warn you, if a politician offers you any kind of deal. He’s lying. Telling the truth is like suicide for him.”

He’s talking about a specific person. Probably his father. I’m not stupid, I can tell that something is off. I just nodded, not wanting to push him. Our camp has been attacked many times, but I’ve always been good at bargaining. However, the way Goro is talking, it seems like bargaining is out of the question.

“Tell me, Goro,” I leaned closer, dropping my voice to a whisper, “If you lie, I’ll know, so tell the truth. Why are you really here? You weren’t just wandering.”

He looked over at me, hand resting on his knife. “You’re cute and smart, what a combination.” He thinks I’m cute? “My father has a big group, a massive one, and a quarantine camp a long way out. He’s a selfish bastard and a lying cheat. He sends scouts out to find camps to raid and take over, capture the people as his prisoner. I’d give everything just to watch him die, but if I killed him, I’d be killed by his followers. So, I ran. I stabbed his best man and stole a car, made it a few miles out before they blew up the tire and wrecked the car. I walked, didn’t wander.”

“That’s what Haru treated? Your wounds from the accident?”

Goro nodded, turning his eyes to an approaching Ann. She had two sandwiches and gave them to us. Goro gave her a nod while I thanked her. “My father would never let me go. It’s his selfish, pathetic lie to himself about love. He doesn’t love me or anyone. He’ll find out where I am and he’ll just capture me back. I know I’ve been followed. They’ll attack you all if I don’t leave.”

“Then stay,” I suggested, “We can help you.”

We’d need to have a group vote, but I know it’ll be a unanimous yes. We’re Phantom Thieves, we help people who can’t help themselves and give hope for a better future. Well, for any future at all. Goro shook his head, looking down at his sandwich. “It’s more dangerous if I stay. He will burn this camp to the ground and enslave your people, make you fight in Zombie Rings to prove that you should live.”

“I’ll pack you a bag of supplies, then,” I frowned, “but you’re always welcome to join our family.”

“Thank you, Akira, I really do appreciate it,” he said. Goro stood up, dusting crumbs from his thick pants, but his eyes kept going back to the gate. He said he was followed.

“There’s a back way into the woods,” I whispered, “it should throw him off of you.” Goro nodded and took his hand off his handgun. If he leaves that way, they’ll assume he’s still here. I guess we’ll need to deal with that some way.

Ryuji and Makoto returned while I was packing the bag for Goro. I sat in the back of one of the broken trucks we converted into a lounge area. There were cushions from chairs lining the back and a small battery radio that we played music on when we could.

“Who’s the guy by the fire?” Ryuji asked, leaning his elbow on the truck. Goro was drinking some juice to get some energy back. He was probably exhausted.

“Goro Akechi,” I said, “he came for dinner and he’s leaving, so I’m packing a bag. I offered to let him stay, but he warned us that he’s from a dangerous group that’ll kill us if he stays. He got followed so I’m sending him out the back.”

“They’ll attack us anyway,” Ryuji groaned, rubbing his face. He was always one for the dramatics.

I laughed, nudging him slightly. “Check out his gun and gear. If we get attacked and we win, you can cop some for yourself.” Ryuji almost ran over to Goro, tripping over his boots on the way.

Let’s see. I packed a med kit, complete with alcohol, bandages, and a stitch kit, some energy bars and water, cans of meat, fire starters, and a blanket. Is that enough for him? I’ll toss in a handheld water purifier just in case and maybe some bullets fro his handgun. I don’t have bullets for his monster of a gun, but a regular 9mm is easier to come by. God, I can’t even tell what that big gun is.

”I packed the essentials and I even put in a few comics, but Futaba almost ripped my head off when I grabbed at her Featherman comics.”

Goro looked up at me, a small smile on his face. It wasn’t one of the fake ones either. “I used to love Featherman as a kid. My mother bought me everything.”

“Sounds like a nice childhood.”

“Not even close.” With that, Goro patted my arm and left the courtyard. He knew where the exit was and he would leave on his own. “If we meet again, I hope it would be under less... dangerous circumstances.”

”There can’t be worse.”

Until next time, Goro Akechi. If our camp is attacked, we’ll make sure they don’t find you. I watched him go behind one of the buildings and that was it. I turned back to where everyone was eating around the fire. I’m sure Ryuji and Ann have told them to prepare for a real raid.

“Alright P-Thieves,” I said, clapping my hands, “Let’s play the hero.”


	2. Displaced

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They return to their original safe haven, a place with people who actually care. Goro just doesn't get it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We love pre-written things.

Goro

 

I shouldn’t go too far from Akira’s camp. Whoever followed me brought back up and they’ll sweep the entire motel, maybe even try to take it for themselves. I can’t just leave them to fight my battles. Though, when they raid it, they won’t expect me.

Akira was generous with his supplies. When he said he packed essentials, I thought he meant just a few things to get me by for a day or two, but what he gave me could last a month or more. I hung the bag on a thick branch above me. Staying in trees was safe. There were no zombies and the leaves concealed me from humans. I guess the worst of it is the bugs.

The medic, Haru, treated my wounds very well. She bandaged the slash on my arm and helped soothe the burns on my back. Crashing cars and big explosions aren’t something I’d like to experience again. I’m lucky I still have all my limbs—or my life. I touched the bandage on my cheek, a cut not caused by the crash, but by a warning to stay in line. I guess the rebellious nature of teenagers is something that can’t be controlled with threats.

I wrapped myself in the blanket he left and waited. I slept two nights ago, so I should be good staking out and watching the camp tonight. I need to be wary of them, but they seem like good people. I haven’t seen good people before. He told me that they were like a family, drastically different from my father telling me our camp was like a ship that needed to be steered in the right direction. Greed is a disease carried by politicians and spread by false promises. That’s what my mother used to say.

The night passed slowly. It was strange to see everyone go to a room for the night and sleep. Not a single person stayed up to guard. I could see the entire courtyard from a tree on the hill. It was a good vantage point. Akira was the last to go to bed, a small black and white cat following him into the motel room. Some of them I hadn’t met yet. There was the loud blonde named Ryuji, his opposite named Makoto, Ann was the kind and beautiful one, Akira was the leader, Haru was the medic, but I hadn’t met the tall dark-haired boy and the redhead. Or the cat.

The sun was almost at its peak when I saw my old group members walk up to the gate. They had their machine guns and body armor, every single one of them was ruthless and ready to attack. I need to wait, need to see what happens. Akira walked up to them alone, no weapons visible. He better be armed.

 

Akira

 

Goro’s old group looks terrifying. I guess he was right about them being dangerous and powerful. No matter. I have to be casual. “Hey, what can we do for you on this fine day?” I asked, keeping a friendly smile on my face. All of them looked clean cut and dangerous, but they were definitely not kids.

“We’re looking for a kid, about this tall, long brown hair, brown eyes. He killed one of ours and stole one of our cars. Have you seen him?” Maybe I should’ve realized that ‘stabbed’ led to ‘killed’. I shook my head. “Liar, we saw him come in here last night.”

“Oh, that guy, yeah, he came for a sandwich and left. Went out a different way. If I knew where he went, I’d let you know.” Goro’s long gone by now. He left last night and I’ll probably never see him again. “You can come look around if you don’t believe me.”

I could see Makoto shoot me a look from the corner of my eye. Yeah, she’s not too big on inviting people in when we know they have bad intentions. It’s okay, it’s alright. If we lead them in, we can ambush them. There’s only three of them, but I can tell they’ve definitely brought more.

They looked at each other before agreeing. Yusuke opened the gate for them and left it open. “You know,” I said, “I haven’t introduced myself. I’m Joker.” Enemies hear our code names. Names have power. Friends hear our real names and that’s all.

“Joker’s a name for a kid’s superhero.”

“Well, in the Batman movies, he’s a villain and he’s ‘The Joker’, technically. I was going more on a wild card name, you know? Like the playing cards.” I need to learn to shut up. I really do. Well, in my defense, it was a pretty creative idea and I’d like it to be acknowledged as a great idea.

The man in the middle, the shaved head guy, raised a brow at me, a smirk cracking on his face. I’m funny enough to be called a joker too. Well, according to Ryuji, not so much anyone else. “We’ll take a look around,” he said.

“Tough crowd,” I shrugged, looking over at the others, “Real tough crowd.”

They took a while to check every room and eyed our supplies like hungry animals. Their friends should be showing up soon, then.

“Hey, this is a nice camp you’ve got here. Very stocked on supplies, but it’s run by someone very, very naive.”

The voice came from behind me before I felt something knock into my skull. Fucking ambushes. The other side of my head hit the concrete and I could see the others getting ready for a fight before it went all black. Goro was right.

 

Goro

 

“Akira!” I yelled, stupidly and hurriedly grabbing the bag of supplies he gave me and launched myself out of the tree. I fell flat on my face, probably drawing the attention of any nearby zombies. There’s no more watching.

I ran down the hill as fast as could, ran towards the motel despite the burning in my lungs and the pain shooting up my side from both cramping and a wound from the crash. I have to help them.

I threw the bag of supplies over the fence and went in through the back way. There was gunfire and I could see zombies making their way through the trees. Reinforcements were outnumbering them and Akira had been dragged behind cover by Ryuji. I took a deep breath, aiming my rifle and taking a shot. My ex-teammate’s head was blown off, but Ann was relieved of bullets.

She looked at me, a grin spreading across her face. I don’t think they anticipated that I’d stick around. I stepped from behind the wall, taking shots on my way to more cover. There was a massive cluster of them in one section, so there’s one easy way to clear out half of them. I took a grenade from my jacket, ripping out the pin and launching it over to them.

Boom.

Explosives are never not useful. “Ryuji,” I called, “Get Akira to the other exit and keep him safe! I’ll cover you!” The blonde nodded, moving to sling Akira onto his back. I followed his path, shooting at whoever tried popping up at Ryuji. I felt one of the bullets rip through my jacket, barely missing my arm.

“You came back,” Ryuji grinned, “man, you weren’t kiddin’ when you said we’d get attacked.”

“Why... would I joke about that?” I had just assumed that Ryuji was most likely the muscle of the group, but I didn’t realize he was that stupid. Ryuji just shrugged, leaning his back against the wall and shaking Akira a little bit. “He’ll be okay. We were trained to make sure they wake up.”

“Pretty ruthless kinda guys,” Ryuji breathed, “So, you were trained with ‘em, yeah? Means you’re just as good?”

I almost grinned. Just as good was an understatement. “Their leader is my father. I’m better than them in every way.” However, I’m heavily outnumbered. I didn’t tell Ryuji that.

Father taught me everything I know. Everything I need to know how to survive and how to be ruthless. Everything I hate about how I am is all him. I shook my head, taking a deep breath and popping out from behind cover. One, two, three shots and three fatal hits. There should be six left. Four—Ann killed two.

I managed to shoot one other before Makoto killed the last three. The zombies were already at the open gate, slowly trudging in a hoard towards us. I need to leave now.

“Goro, get in!”

They had a black van ready to go. I spared a glance to the hoard before joining the group in the van. Makoto was the one driving and there was Akira’s cat napping on the red-headed girl’s lap.

I looked over at Akira. He had woken up and was rubbing his head. It’s all my fault. He looked strangely angelic, though. His hair was mostly out of his face and showed off a scar on his forehead. Akira didn’t appear to have symptoms of a concussion, but there’s no way to know for sure yet. He caught my eye and smirked at me. Usually, I can’t tolerate smirking, but holy shit when he does it...

“Are you okay?” I asked, keeping a safe distance between us on the seat. He nodded slowly, turning from the window to face me. He sat with one leg on the seat, completely turned towards me. “I’m sorry that your camp was taken by a hoard.”

“No worries. We moved all our supplies in here last night just in case, so we didn’t really lose anything.” He was too kind, too forgiving. And confident. I wish I could be like that, but Father ruined just about everything about me. “We met again, though.”

“It wasn’t under better circumstances.” He laughed, looking at me throat his lashes. I swallowed a non-existent lump in my throat.

“Can you stick around this time? We could use someone like you. I saw you shooting, never missed.” He wants me to stay? I couldn’t form words, so I just resorted to nodding. People only tolerated me at my old group because of my father—and he only tolerated me because I was good at what I did.

“Thank you,” I whispered.

“We have a long drive ahead of us to get to Leblanc, so tell me about yourself.” He leaned forward, eyebrows raised in genuine interest. Leblanc? I’ve never heard of that place.

“I’m afraid,” I said slowly, “that if I tell you more about me, you’d come to loathe me.”

“I’ll go first,” he smiled, “Before all this happened, I got in fights at school on the playground. Everyone expected me to grow up to be like my parents, who, conveniently, were both arrested as teenagers for assault. They met in passing during court. How crazy is that? We were happy even after the apocalypse, but a hoard came through our house because of me and my parents got me out of the house and told me to run when I was thirteen. I never looked back.”

“Aren’t you sad?” Of course, he is, dipshit! God, I’m so stupid.

“Yeah, sometimes, but I focus more on them while they were alive. I don’t believe in regret.” That’s the difference between him and I. He lives with no regret and I know nothing but that. How unfair it is. “So I met Ryuji and Morgana and then we became family. If my parents hadn’t died, I wouldn’t be who I am today and I’m thankful that they were able to raise me so well.”

“My Father never cared for me like that.” I should stop talking. It’s not fair that he spills everything and I don’t. Maybe I’ll leave out some things and keep it short. “Neither did my Mother, really, but she tried. I am the bastard son of a corrupted politician and the only reason he claimed me as his son was because he needed an heir to his camp. My Mother could never love me. Every time she looked at me, all she saw was her ruined life. She couldn’t complete school, she was shamed by family and friends for having a child out of wedlock. There was nothing I could do.”

I could tell that he wanted to say ‘I’m sorry’, but he held his tongue. Thank god. I left that as the end, not wanting to spill my entire life’s story to a stranger just yet. Or ever.

He wouldn’t hate me for that, he’d feel bad for me. It’s only a little bit better than hating me, but I suppose that I have to deal with it.

I was awoken by Akira shaking his shoulder. Without realizing it, I had passed out on the ride and somehow managed to slump onto his shoulder. I couldn’t ever splutter out a proper apology before he grinned at me and got out of the van. When he said we were going to a place called Leblanc, I pictured it to be another camp of some sort, but it was just a back alley coffee shop with the metal shutters closed.

The red-headed girl just waltzed in, exposing the golden glow of the light inside. It was warm and still smelled of fresh coffee and—oh, there was a man brewing coffee.

“Futaba!” He exclaimed, engulfing the redhead in a tight hug. Every member of the group gave him a hug. More family? Have I ever been hugged before? Mother never hugged me, Father never hugged me, other children avoided me. No, I don’t suppose I’ve ever had the chance to hug anyone. I don’t see the big deal about it anyway—it can’t be that amazing. “Who’s this?”

“Goro Akechi,” said Akira, “ran away from some psycho’s group and they came for him, attracted a hoard too. We had to book it out. Oh, Goro, this is Sojiro, Futaba, and Yusuke. You haven’t met.”

“It’s a pleasure,” I told them politely, “though, I apologize for your camp.”

“No worries, pretty boy,” Futaba grinned, one similar to that of Akira’s, “you seem pretty badass and that’s always good to have around.”

“Would you like some coffee?” Sojiro was an older man with a beard, a well-groomed goatee, really. I nodded, taking a seat at the bar nearest the door. If anything happens, I can be on the frontline. I haven’t had coffee in months. Sometimes, we would be lucky enough to find some instant coffee, but this place was stocked with coffee beans.

“This is a very nice shop you have,” I said, “Where do you stay or keep the weapons?”

“Under the bar.” Akira hit his hand against the dark wood a few times. “Sojiro’s got a house down the road, but this used to be where I stayed, or the attic. He likes to stay up there now cuz it’s safer.”

“Safer? Where are we?”

“Backstreets, a gated community of people that lived here. It’s pretty preserved from the Old World and the people are amazing. The doctor down the street taught me and Haru everything we know and she even makes her own medicine.” Akira was grinning again, taking the seat next to mine and leaning his muscles forearms on the bar. Muscles? God, why am I even looking?

I shifted my eyes away, looking towards Sojiro. He set a steaming cup of delicious smelling coffee in front of me and went to wash up. I kept my eyes down, trying to seem inconspicuous. Did he notice?

Oh my god, what is wrong with me? I’m Goro Akechi, the most ruthless person at camp, who could run into a hoard and come out unscathed, who could take over another camp in an hour, not some giggling school girl with dripping panties.

I set my head down on my hands, taking a slow breath through my nose. A new group, huh. I could make it on my own and build my own place, but the people—the Phantom Thieves, as they named themselves—are oddly friendly and have hope for the future. I haven’t seen hope like this before. Sometimes, I’d see a young teenager finally able to go outside and see the dead, eyes full of hope for making things better, but it’s squashed out in seconds. They don’t live behind walls, they live with the zombies and, somehow, they’re still hopeful. Maybe I’ll stick around for a while.


End file.
